Persona 5 Crimson: Tales of the Trickster
by Miokomoonchild
Summary: A young high school student is branded as a criminal and as a result, is sent to live in Tokyo on probation orders. This is a retelling and combo of P5, P5R and P5A but with an OC FeMC as the main protagonist. Strong language and violence. Watch out for edited chapters.


_Author's Note:_

_This is pretty much a retelling of the 5th installment of the Persona series and I have to say, I loved playing this and I am so happy to have finally been able to write a fanfic on it. I was originally going to have the protagonist be a gender-flipped version of Ren Amamiya, but after midway through writing this, I decided to have a more personal involvement in this project and have my OC star in this fic. Since I based my OC off of myself, I guess you could call this a self-insert, but hopefully it won't be too much of a change, since she's pretty much just reacting to the situation at hand._

_Just a quick rundown on my OC:_

_Full Name: Mioko Mizuki __(観月 美桜子)_

_Zodiac: Sagittarius_

_Height: 152 cm (5')_

_Blood Type: AB (RH-)_

_Melee Weapon: Fans_

_Ranged Weapon: Pistols_

_She has pale skin, straight long glossy black hair styled loosely in a hime-cut; __heavy bangs across her forehead with straightened sidelocks that reach past her shoulders__ and red "tsurime" eyes. She also wears the same glasses that Ren does as well as headphones. For her personality, she's the cool, calm, quiet and almost mysterious type but also a bit shy, cheeky and she cares for her friends. As for her voice, the same thing, quiet but also mature and with underlying strength and steadfast resolve. For her Japanese voice, I picture either Inori Minase, Miku Ito, Saori Onishi, Sachika Misawa, Ayane Sakura, Reina Ueda, Shiina Natsukawa, or Momo Asakura's lending their voice to her while for English voice, I probably picture Christine Marie Cabanos (yeah I know she was already Shiho, shh), Ryan Bartley, __Brianna Knickerbocker, __Erica Mendez or __Marieve Herington.__ Yeah, I know she kinda sounds a lot like another certain black haired girl back in Inaba, but I would like to think of them as different people despite the similarities. Now that I think about it, she's kind of like Yukiko and Futaba rolled into one._

_For her outfits:_

_Winter School Uniform: She wears it correctly with no change or variation whatsoever. She also dons black tights._

_Summer School Uniform: She wears this with a slight variation as she leaves her shirt untucked and forgoes the suspenders. She replaces her tights with 3/4 length white socks._

_Casual Winter Outfit: She wears a black unzipped hoodie over a white buttoned shirt, blue cropped jeans and white sneakers._

_Casual Summer Outfit: She wears a sleeveless white blouse, black skirt and ivory flats._

_Loungewear: A black tank top and olive shorts._

_Thief Outfit: I figured she could wear a similar outfit to Kaito-Kid's but all black with a white tie, although Ren's thief outfit would be fine too. I guess for fics involving her as the main protagonist, she'll borrow Ren's outfit but for fics where Ren is also a character, she'll don her Kaito-Kidesque outfit instead._

_I adjusted her wardrobe so her outfit choices are closer to Ren's, but normally she has a different set of clothes. I'm just afraid her outfits will end up looking too similar to another named character's outfit as well (nervous chuckle)._

_As for Akechi, I'm just going to have him gender-flipped, so he, or rather she, is now going to be Hitomi Akechi (__明智 瞳) and is now 168 cm or 5'5"__. Other than that, she's pretty much Goro._

_I'm also not going to make any changes to Confidants because again, like the thief outfit, there's nothing to fix and that would be a bit too inauthentic for a retelling, though I will make adjustments to minor events to accommodate my protagonist's gender._

_Sorry if you wanted to see a gender-flipped Ren or normal Akechi and for the long note in general, but I hope you'll grow to tolerate or maybe even like Mioko as she embarks on her noble quest to right the wrongs of Tokyo. I have been putting a lot of time, effort and love into her, if you couldn't already tell and I'm really excited to have her star in an adventure! Now, without further ado, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Shin Megami Tensei, nor do I own Persona or any of its properties, but what I do own is the main character, Mioko Mizuki, who is an OC of my creation. All rights belong to Atlus Co., Ltd._

* * *

_The world is not as it should be._

_It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" can no longer be avoided._

_Those who oppose fate and desire change..._

_From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters._

_You are the Trickster._

_Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion in this world._

* * *

**Prologue: The Fall of Joker**

* * *

Casinos. There was always an adult charm about them. The way it's all fancily lit up with the stars, offsetting the darkness of the night. Something about everyone's fancy suits and glamorous dresses. How practically anyone who says they gamble as a pastime can be viewed as a cool adult. Or maybe it's the thrill over the prospect that you might win it all, or end up losing everything, depending on where the whims of fate feel like leading you towards. I think it's called double or nothing or something. I don't know. I'm not a gambler so I'm not very knowledgeable on this sort of thing. But little do the people down there realize what's about to happen!

In the shadows up above, stood two young girls in costumes, one black-haired girl wearing a black tailcoat and a white domino mask with black accents, holding a suitcase; the other was brown-haired in a white royalty outfit with red accents and a red long-nosed mask, holding a laser pistol.

"Here we go, you ready?" the girl with the red mask asked.

The girl with the suitcase gave her a thumb up and a smile. "Let's do it!"

The red masked girl smiled back and aimed her gun at the other girl. she fired at her, the suitcase girl unflinching as the laser flew past her face, hitting the support wire of a chandelier behind her. The chandelier then fell to the ground with a loud crash, tripping the alarm and frightening the casino patrons.

"Good luck!" the red masked girl said, waving as she made her escape through a nearby open window. "We'll definitely meet again soon!"

The girl with the suitcase nodded and turned to face the crowd down below with a mischievous grin.

"What was that!?" one of the people in the crowd asked.

"Could it be the Phantom Thieves!?" another person asked.

"Hey, look up there!" one person shouted, noticing and pointing at the girl with the suitcase.

Just then, a group of suited security guards began forcefully moving through the crowd. "She's here, move in immediately," one of them radioed in.

Once she was sure that everyone was focused on her, the girl with the suitcase began hopping from chandelier to decor to escape.

"Alright, everyone's attention is on Joker now!" a boyish voice exclaimed in the girl's ear. "That was a perfect diversion!"

"Totally!" an upbeat girl's voice chimed in. "I bet Skull could never pull that off as smoothly as she did!"

"That's because he has no sense of aesthetics," a calm boy's voice remarked.

"Shut up, Inari!" a rough boy's voice snapped.

"You know, you're all more than welcome to talk about my marksmanship. I mean, if you want to, of course," the red masked girl's voice interjected.

"Everyone remember where we're meeting up?" a gentle girl's voice asked

"No worries, I can guide you all." a young girl's voice responded. "Joker, can you read us?"

"We'll recover the briefcase on our end," a serious girl's voice stated.

After jumping across the many hanging chandeliers and decor and vaulting onto an overlooking balcony, the girl with the suitcase looked around for a vent. Spotting one nearby with a smile, she ripped off the vent cover and tossed the suitcase in.

"There she is! Stop right there!" a nearby guard shouted.

The girl looked behind her with surprise as one of the guards came swinging his stun baton at her. She rolled away, barely evading the baton as it smashed into the wall. She scowled at the guard, as he was ripping his baton from the wall, noticing two more guards trailing behind him. Just then, she spotted another balcony up above and she hopped on a nearby pillar before vaulting herself onto the balcony.

"Joker, the door!" the young girl's voice shouted.

The masked young girl named Joker looked up, saw the emergency exit door, and sprinted towards it, closing and locking the door behind her, slumping to the ground with her back towards the door and panting.

"You should be able to get out that way!" the young girl's voice exclaimed. "Hurry!"

"Dude, can she even hear us!?" the rough boy's voice asked.

"Don't worry, I'm picking up everyone's voices," she replied.

Just then, an unknown transmission was picked up. "...suspects...not...confirmed...hold...your...positions..."

"Hm? What was that?" the young girl questioned. "Actually, never mind that, go!"

Joker nodded, picked herself up and started running through the hallways beneath the casino. After going through a few hallways, bypassing some guards unnoticed, she came across a room with a large window. Taking a peek, she saw several people typing behind their PC's and also several monitors with one person, visibly annoyed, who was audible enough to hear from the outside, telling someone on the phone, "She's not alone. Find them and kill them all!"

Must be the surveillance room, she thought to herself. After making sure that no one in the room noticed her, she went on ahead, running up a flight of stairs before finding an emergency exit door. She burst through the door to find herself on a balcony overlooking the dining area with a stain-glass window across from her. She looked down and saw the area was flooded with patrons and security guards.

"Something wrong?" the young girl inquired. "The exit should be up ahead."

"Through there?" Joker asked, directing her gaze towards the stain-glass window.

"That's your only option. The bottom floor's completely closed off. Think you can make it?"

"I know I will."

"Over there!" a guard shouted, cutting Joker off before she could respond. "There's nowhere to run!"

She turned around and saw more guards, aiming their pistols at her. Giving them a smirk, she hopped up on the railings and began running on them, making her way towards the window in full view of the patrons down below.

"That's her!" one of them yelped.

"She's on the railing!" another one shouted.

Once she reached the window, she turned to face the guards. She gave them a cocky grin and yelled, "See ya!" before flinging herself through the window, everyone below screaming out in surprise as she soared through the air.

"Hmph, what a showoff." the young girl remarked.

"Sheesh, you're so reckless!" the boyish voice commented.

Joker then landed on the ground, rolling gracefully before standing up to brush herself off as glass fell around her. Just then, several police lights shone on her, causing her to shield her eyes as she saw an entire police unit in riot gear lying in wait for her. Joker gritted her teeth as her companions panicked, each of them yelling over the other.

"Enemies here!?"

"What's wrong!?

"These readings! No way!"

"What happened!?

"An ambush!"

"Joker, can you handle this?!"

"Joker!"

"Oh no!"

"Capture her!" one of the officers shouted.

"Let's go! Go! Go! Go!" several officers with riot shields bellowed, closing in on Joker.

As the police bombarded her with smoke grenades, she ran towards a nearby apartment building and leaped up onto the fire escape ladder that was only halfway down. Looking back down as the officers poured down below with a smirk, thinking she got away, she continued climbing until she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed on her cheek. Surprised, she looked back up as the officer brought his gun up and gun-butted her off the ladder. With a yelp, she plummeted down and the police below pounced on her, all of them shouting for compliance as they held her down to the ground. Once the noise subsided, a suited man made his way through the riot geared officers, approaching Joker.

"Hm," he scoffed. "Didn't expect to find some kid." He knelt and grabbed Joker's head. "You have your teammate to thank for this. You were sold out."

Joker gasped as the man let go of her head, stood up and walked away.

"Suspect confirmed! Cuff her!" was the last thing she heard before being hauled off to the police station, her costume fading away into a school uniform along the way. After having her mugshots taken, she was then lead to an interrogation room nestled in the depths of the police station to be chained to a chair and drugged and beaten for several hours.

She tried to keep herself conscious as the drugs started to take effect and the beatings they administered kept getting more brutal, eventually succumbing to the pain and falling unconscious. After several buckets of cold water later, she regained consciousness, panting in exhaustion. Looking up dazed, she saw three men in black suits, including the lead interrogator, a tall imposing man with eyes like a fish and an overall malevolent face.

"Guess the drugs was too strong." the lead interrogator commented in an icy cold voice. "No dozing off!" he shouted as he kicked the girl in her gut.

The kick sent her to the floor, leaving her coughing as she struggled to remain conscious again. She opened her eyes to find the needle that was used to drug her in front of her face.

"How long do you think you can keep up this up, huh?" the man growled, grinding his heel onto her head. "We'll pump as many shots as it takes to loosen your lips."

She subconsciously found her eyes wandering towards the camera that was placed across the room. The man followed her gaze and sneered.

"What about the camera? You think it can be used as video evidence?" he asked, grabbing her hair.

She didn't acknowledge the question and simply stared back at him. This made the man even angrier.

"Didn't you hear my question? Answer!" he yelled as he slammed her head onto the floor and gave her another kick to the gut, leaving her coughing and wheezing out in pain.

He walked away from her to take a clipboard one of his subordinates was holding.

"Obstruction of justice," he read. "blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons... We can add murder to your laundry list too, right? Jeez, talk about the works. To think that all those crimes were led by a punk like you. And you seemed to be enjoying every last second of it, huh!?" He shook his head. "You should know your place."

He nodded to his subordinates and they uncuffed her, flipping her around so that she sat up. As she rubbed her aching wrists, the interrogator handed the clipboard to her.

"Sign here," he said. "It's a confession under your name."

She swatted the clipboard away from her face, causing the interrogator to grab her head again out of impatience.

"You think you have a choice in this you little bitch? Your friends might end up paying the consequence instead!"

This was enough to get a reaction out of the girl, her eyes widening as she gasped out in horror. The man took noticed and started smiling sadistically at her.

"'He's bluffing! They only caught me!' That's what you wanna say, right? That's fine. Believe it or not, I don't care. But what I do care about is getting that signature of yours." He let go of her head and stomped on her leg, causing her to yelp in pain. "It's fine if I break your leg, right? After all, it's your hand that does all the writing!"

He began grinding his heel into her knee until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Mioko Mizuki! My name is Mioko Mizuki!" she shouted out in distress.

The man removed his foot from her leg. "There, now that wasn't so hard was it?"

With a cold stare, he handed her the clipboard again. This time, she shakily took it and signed it. The man took the clipboard back but leaned in close as he was doing so, causing her to back up.

"Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece. We'll make you understand, one must take full responsibility for their actions."

_**Sometime later...**_

_"Nijima, I thought I ordered you to be on standby."_

"I'm responsible for this case, yet I'm not even being allowed an interrogation!?"

A sharply dressed woman with long silver hair was arguing with her superior over her cellphone, just outside of the interrogation room, which was being guarded by an officer and two detectives.

_"I'm calling because I knew you'd bring it up."_

"I will not be convinced unless I confirm it for myself, Director. This is MY case, after all."

_"I don't know why I even bother. Well, I already gave you the go-ahead so do as you wish. I won't be expecting much though, but good luck."_

She hung up and pocketed her phone.

"Your time will be cut short," one of the nearby detective told her. "We can't permit you to talk with her for too long. Her methods are still unknown and we aren't even sure if it's safe just to be near her."

The woman named Nijima nodded. "Understood."

She entered the room and saw Mioko sitting by a table that was in the room.

"So it was you," Nijima remarked, taking her seat across from Mizuki.

"Where are the others?" Mioko weakly asked, barely containing the worry in her voice.

"Still out there. You're the only one they managed to catch." Nijima then shifted her eyes to the needle that laid on the ground. "Those bastards," she said, scowling. "Are you with me right now? Anything can happen here and I can't stop them. Besides that, we don't have a lot of time, so I need you to answer my questions as honestly as possible if you want to make it out of here in one piece. What was your objective? Why cause such major incidents? I didn't think these were pranks from the get-go, but I couldn't assemble a case for prosecution. It's because I couldn't figure out the method behind it."

Mioko gave a weary smirk. "Of course you couldn't," she scoffed.

"Hm, true," Nijima replied. "There's no way I could be convinced of such a 'world' just by reading the reports." She nodded to herself. "It seems your coherent. When and where did you find out about that world? How is it even possible to steal another's heart? Tell me everything that you know. Start from the very beginning."

Mioko then raised her elbow onto the table, rested her head onto her hand and closed her eyes.

"I..." she began.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself sitting in the dark by herself, with a blue butterfly fluttering gently above her.

_"You are held captive."_ a mysterious voice rang out from the butterfly._ "A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance. This is truly an unjust game. The chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet still be another possibility open to you. The key to victory lies within the memories of your bonds. The truth that you and your friends grasped. It all started six months ago, on the day the game began. Please, remember. For the sake of the world's future. And your own."_

* * *

_**Mioko...**_

Ugh, my head hurts so much... Good to see there's no sex discrimination when it comes to being brutalized during interrogations. But then again, what was I expecting? A cold drink, cozy chair and a foot rub? For all these guys know, I'm nothing but a bloody psychopath, leading a bunch of ruthless murderers in terrorizing the honest hard-working innocent people of Japan by doling out self-righteous judgment. Little do they know... Huh? My name? Ah, that's right, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Mioko Mizuki. The girl you saw getting the shit kicked out of a bit earlier. I'm sorry you have to see me in such an... unrefined state. I suppose you would like to know how I got here as well.

It all started back at the beginning of the school year, back in April...

_**(04/09/20xx)**_

I had just snapped out of a slight doze on my train that was taking me to Tokyo.

_"Ladies and gentlemen," _the train intercom announced. _"Thank you for riding with us today. We will be arriving in Shibuya shortly. This is the last stop for this line. Please transfer here for all subway lines. The doors to your left will open..."_

_"Hey! You! Come here!"_

_"Please, help!"_

_"Damn brat! I'll sue!"_

_"You're under arrest!"_

"What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?"

Huh? Ugh, my mind wandered again... I shook my head as I overheard two students talking to each other.

"It's the truth!" the other girl responded.

"To a person though? That's gotta be a joke," the first girl dismissed. "You really love that occult stuff, don't you?"

A small smile formed on my face as they both laughed. I got off the train a short while after. As I was making my way towards the Shibuya subway station, looking at the directions on my phone, I noticed a strange red icon suddenly appeared, enlarging itself to take up almost the whole screen.

_"What is this...?"_ I internally asked as I tapped the icon. When nothing happened, I began tapping it out of impatience until I noticed the world around me slowing down into a complete stop. The hustle and bustle of Shibuya now drowned in complete silence. As I looked around completely bewildered, I then noticed wild blue flames emerging from the Shibuya underground subway entrance. As I looked on, the flames slowly manifested itself into the shape of a winged humanoid creature. Just then, I saw a face, a simple one with flame-red eyes and mouth. Beneath that, my own face, with yellow eyes and a malicious smirk. I gasped at the sight and then realized everything was back to normal. I looked around as everyone was going about their business around me.

Did that just happen or is my imagination working up? I shook my head as I deleted the strange icon and continued towards the Shibuya train that would take me Yongen-Jaya. When I arrived I made my way towards the residential area. Starting today, one _Sojiro Sakura _will be taking care of me during my time here in Tokyo. His house should be in the backstreets. As I walked, I took in my surroundings. A couple of things caught my interest like a small second-hand shop that looked like it sold electronics among various other knickknacks. I would have taken a more thorough look but the owner had stepped out, leaving a sign that read "On Break", plus, I needed to get to Sakura-san's place. There was also a small supermarket that had cabbage and other vegetables stacked outside. I could feel the cold air emanating from its open doors. Right next to it was a batting cage. I'm surprised it would be here of all places but it seems to be doing well. The movie theatre that was nearby? Not so much. I wonder if it was even open, or if it was still in business at all. It looked dark and neglected. Just then, I noticed an unfriendly looking police officer nearby, surveying the area. He didn't seem like he wanted to be there, but I decided to ask him for directions anyway.

"Um, excuse me..." I said.

The police officer directed his gaze at me with a sigh. "Yes?" he replied apathetically.

I showed him my phone. "I was wondering, how do I get to this address?"

He looked at it, then started pointing towards an alley. "It's in that alley over there. Take a right after that apartment with the stairs."

I nodded. "I-I see, thank you."

The officer just grunted in response and went back to surveying. I made my towards the alley until I happened to overhear a young girl walking her dog with her mother nearby.

"Was there another, um, a-ack-si-dent? I see a policeman over there," the girl asked her mother.

"Oh, he's just watching to make sure everyone's safe," her mother responded. "It'd be scary if something like that happened again, though. Let's hurry home."

And true to her words, they began walking away. 'Another accident'? I wonder what happened? It was a bit unnerving to hear but I'm glad I wasn't caught up in it. I went into the alley and saw a parcel deliveryman ringing the doorbell to a house that was at the other end.

"Hmm, looks like no one's home," I heard him murmur. "Oh yeah, Sakura-san's usually at his cafe around this time. Well, Leblanc's in the back alley so I should make my other deliveries first. Mmm, next I need to take this package to..."

Leblanc... I guess that's where I need to go now. Better than just waiting around outside. I made my way towards the back alley. From what I could see through its glass door, it was a quaint but cozy cafe that sold coffee and curry. Well, the coffee was a given, but curry? Interesting combo there. I decided to look around some more before heading inside so I went a bit further into the alley. A little bit to the right was the bathhouse and laundry area. The bathhouse looked relaxing, and I could smell the soap wafting in the air. The washing machines on the other hand looked pretty dirty, but that might be because they're old. Just then, I heard a radio playing and decided to track the source. As I came around a corner, I saw an old man sitting on the bench with his radio. He immediately noticed me, directing his gaze on me.

"Oh! I'm sorry to disturb you," I apologized.

He smiled. "That's quite alright," he said. "Did you want to listen in?"

I nodded. It sounded like he was tuned to a radio show.

"With the economy in a slump and the population ageing, is there a future for the next generation?" the radio's announcer blared.

The old man scowled. "Don't give me this 'next generation' malarkey. You're just ganging up on us old folks."

Alright, I should stop fooling around. After thanking the man for allowing me to listen in, I went back to Leblanc. After taking a deep breath, I reached for the doorknob and entered.

_**Leblanc...**_

When I entered, I saw an elderly couple sitting in one of the booths, watching the news on TV while another man, who I assumed to be the manager, sat on one of the bar stools reading his paper.

"A public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still in it!" the tabloid show host reported. "The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up."

The old man shuddered. "How frightening," he remarked.

"What could be going on? Didn't something similar just happen the other day?" his wife asked.

"Vertical is... the name of a shellfish used for farming pearls..." I heard the manager murmur, not paying much attention to the TV. Guess he's doing the crosswords. Just then, he looked up and noticed me, looking surprised. "Oh, that's right," he said, standing up. "They did say that was today."

The manager was mid-aged, bespectacled, had black hair slicked back with a receding hairline, and a chinstrap beard with a goatee while his attire consisted of a black apron over his pink dress shirt, pale khakis and white loafers. For someone his age, his outfit kind of gave off a hipster vibe.

The old couple stood up as well. "We'll be going now," the old man told the manager. "The payments on the table."

"Thanks for coming," he replied.

"This place is in the back alley, so there's no danger of a car crashing in here," the old man commented.

"A what now?" the manager said, slightly confused.

"There's been a string of those rampage accidents, you know. I just hope none happen around here."

"It's none of my concern."

The old man chuckled. "We'll see you next time," he said and he and his wife both exited the shop.

"Four hours for just a single cup of joe..." the manager muttered under his breath with a sigh. He looked at me. "So, you're Mizuki?"

I nodded in response. "Yes, I am. Mioko Mizuki, pleased to meet you," I replied, bowing. "Um, is Sakura-san around?"

The man smirked. "Yeah, that would be me," he replied. "I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody over the next year."

"Ah, I see." I bowed again. "Please take care of me."

He nodded. "Uh-huh. I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you're the one, huh?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Have you been told? Your parents knew a customer of mine and... Well, not that that matters. Follow me."

He led me upstairs into the attic of the cafe.

"This is your room," he announced. "I'll at least give you sheets for your bed."

The room was, quite frankly a cluttered mess. There was dust everywhere, garbage bags littered the floor, shelves crammed haphazardly with books and everything tossed aside on the floor with no rhyme or reason. It was amazing how filthy one room could get through sheer negligence.

"You look like you want to say something."

"It's um... big," I commented. I was in no position to complain, to be honest.

"It's on you to clean up the rest. I'll be leaving after I lock up each day. You'll be alone at night but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble."

I nodded.

"Now then, I got the gist of your situation. You protected a woman from some man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right? That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?"

Well, not intentionally...

"And now that you've got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school. The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents also approved. In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass. It's best you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know. Behave yourself for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted. Cause any problems, and you'll be sent straight to juvie. We'll be going to Shujin Academy tomorrow to properly introduce ourselves to the staff. There's rarely a place that will accept someone like you, you know. Your 'luggage' arrived earlier by the way; I left them over there," he said, pointing to a box that was in the middle of the room. He then began walking back downstairs. "What a waste of my Sunday..." I heard him mutter under his breath.

I sat on my bed. So, this is my new home starting today. It could have been better, but it definitely could have been worse. Best to just make do with what I have. I decided to check the box, make sure it had everything I packed. I gave it a quick and thorough look and confirmed I wasn't missing anything. I took in the sight of my room again. Cleaning this up is going to be so much work. What a pain... But if I'm gonna live here, the sooner I clean all this crap out the better. And that's just what I did. First, I started dusting the windows, then mopped up the floors, made room on one of the shelves for my box and made my bed. Before I knew it, it was already late evening. I guess time flies when you're busy huh? The place certainly looks better, but there was still more cleaning to be done. As I sat on my bed, I saw Sakura-san come up, looking surprised and impressed at how tidier his store attic was.

"What the heck?" he said. "I heard you making all sorts of noise up here but I didn't think you were cleaning. Actually, the place doesn't look too bad, though it's only natural you'd want to keep your room tidy. Why don't you go to bed for tonight? You don't have anything better to be doing, right? I'm going to close up shop and get out of here myself. I won't be the one looking after you if you get sick from staying up too late, you got that?"

I nodded. "Yes, I understand," I replied.

"Alright then, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

It could've been my imagination, but I thought I saw a faint fleeting smile on his face as he went downstairs. As I heard him closing and locking the door, I changed into my sleepwear and laid on my bed. I wonder what awaits my new life here in Tokyo...

* * *

**_Back in my hometown neighbourhood..._**

_"Just get in the car!"_

_"Stop it!"_

_Huh...? I was walking home from school late one night when I heard a man and woman arguing just up ahead._

_"How dare you cross me!" the man snarled._

_"Stop it! Let me go!" the woman's voice pleaded._

_I began running to the voices and saw a drunk man forcefully latching himself onto a woman._

_"No...!" she screamed._

_"Don't give me that shit..." the man slurred._

_"Ow...! P-Please, stop...!"_

_"Tch, what a waste of time. You think you're worth causing me trouble!? Huh!?"_

_"I-I'll call the police!"_

_"Heh, call them if you want! The police are my bitches! They're not gonna take you seriously!"_

_"No...! Stop...!"_

_Who does he think he is!? I began approaching them but froze when I heard sirens in the distance._

_The drunk man scoffed. "So, someone did call the cops huh?" Get in the car! Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!"_

_"Hey! Stop it! Leave her alone!" I shouted at him._

_The man looked back at me and sneered. "Huh? Who the hell are you, talking to me like that? Do you even know who I am? Stupid little bitch, get outta my sight!" He turned back to the woman. "See? This is all because you're so damn slow! Now get in the car!"_

_"Hey, that's enough!" I screamed as I began walking towards him._

_"Oh, and what are you gonna do huh? I'm gonna beat some respect into you!"_

_He tossed the girl aside and shambled towards me, raising his hand with a menacing expression. I __froze in fear, __flinching as I closed my eyes, but before he could even get close to me, he stumbled over his feet and tripped, landing face-first on the cement. _

_Oh my god, was all I thought as he rose and clutched his now bloody head, looking royally pissed with a look in his eye that could only be described as borderline murderous. And I'll never forget the next words that came out of that vile man's mouth._

_"Damn brat, I'll sue!"_

_Sue!_

_Sue!_

_Sue...!_

_Sue...!_

_Sue..._

_Sue..._

* * *

"Gah...!"

I woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily. Urgh... Was I dreaming about that night...? I rubbed my head with a sigh. The night that changed my life and the events that followed were still so vivid in my memory, seared into my brain... The arrest, the trial, the criminal record, the crushing look of disappointment on my parents' face as their daughter was branded a black sheep of the nation... A permanent stain that can never be washed off... Then again, who do I blame for that? That drunk asshole? Or me, for getting involved in the first place?

Still, what was I supposed to do...!? Ignore that...? No way! I couldn't just let that go...!

_"Damn brat, I'll sue!"_

"Damn it...!" I cursed silently under my breath as I punched the bed out of frustration. Just those four simple words were more than enough to condemn me to my fate.

Just then, I heard my phone vibrate.

Huh...? I thought I turned it off... I reached to grab my phone and unlocked it. Huh? This app again? It was the same app I saw back when I was navigating the streets of Shibuya. Didn't I delete this? What's it doing back on my phone? Hm, now that I'm looking at it, the icon almost looks like an eye...

I shuddered. Creepy. I deleted it again, set my phone down and laid my head back on my pillow. All of a sudden, the air began to feel more chilly and musty, but somehow more mystical, if that made any sense. I opened my eyes again, but to my surprise, I wasn't facing the roof of Leblanc anymore, rather, I was greeted to the sight of a quilted roof. I looked around and noticed the walls were quilted as well, like a mental asylum cell and that my bed was now a barren cot. I sat up and saw I was wearing black and white prisoner garbs and had shackles around my wrists. Where the hell am I...? Just then, I heard someone giggling. Confused, I looked to my right and saw two little girls standing side by side behind what looked a cell door. I got up and nearly tripped. I looked back and saw that my ankle was also shackled, except the end of the chain was attached to an iron ball. Seriously, did I just get transported to a cartoon prison? I approached the cell door and upon closer inspection, the little girls were nearly identical, wearing matching warden uniforms in velvet blue, except their hairstyles were different and wore an eye patch on the other eye. One of them wore their hair in a long braid, held a book, and had her eye patch on her left eye, while the other had her hair in buns, wielded a baton, and had her eye patch on the right side. As I reached the door, the twins parted to the side to reveal a... very strange looking man, sitting in the middle of what appeared to be a circular room of cells behind a desk, with a huge stack of paper, a quill and an intercom mic on the desk. He had... a gigantic nose like a tengu, large pointy ears, bulging bloodshot eyes, thick black eyebrows, and white hair, dressed in an impeccably sharp black suit and complimented with a pair of white gloves. You know, for such a strange face, I couldn't deny his fashion sense.

"Trickster," he said, in a deep, booming voice. "welcome to my Velvet Room."

Trickster? Velvet Room? What the hell is all this? Where am I and why am I here? I began struggling against the cell door.

"So, you've finally come to, Inmate," the little girl with the twin buns commented.

"The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this a dream." the other girl with the long braid informed me.

A dream? No way am I able to imagine something as vivid as... all of this.

"You're in the presence of our master!" the twin bun girl scolded me. "Stand up straight!"

She slammed her baton onto the cell door with such ferocity, I couldn't help flinching and making a tiny yelp. I immediately fixed my posture and stood as straight as I could be.

"Welcome," the strange man spoke again. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well."

"Y-Yes sir," I nervously responded, nodding. I could feel my throat drying up and the cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck, making my hair stick to my skin. Ugh... I hate that feeling...

"I summoned you here to speak of pressing matters," the man named Igor continued. "It involves your life as well."

"Pressing... matters...?" I questioned. Well, what could be more pressing than my life being on the line after all? Hehe...

"Still, this is a surprise," he mused. "the state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate. There is no doubt that ruin awaits your near future."

"Ruin in my near future...?" I wondered out loud. What was that supposed to mean?

"I speak of the end to everything. However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated'. Rehabilitated toward freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin. Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

"U-Uhh..." I hesitated.

"You didn't decline, hm? Very well, that is enough. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."

I feel like you're shoving words into my mouth right now. After he said that, the twin girls snapped to attention, facing toward me.

"Ah, pardon me for the lack of introductions," Igor said. "To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here."

Caroline was the twin buns girl with the baton; Justine, the long braid with the book, got it.

"Hmph," the one called Caroline scoffed. "Try and struggle as hard as you like."

Playing hard-ass from the get-go huh?

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates," the girl named Justine informed me. "We shall also serve as your collaborators..."

Oh, she seems much nicer than Carol-

"...for as long as you remain obedient, that is."

Her soft tone didn't change, but that statement carried a much more menacing undertone than I was comfortable with. Like a swathing hot blade, cutting through the dark misty cold air into an iceberg. Scary...

"We shall save expanding further upon the roles these two will play for another time," Igor announced.

The girls then spun back around, facing their master.

"Now then, it seems the night is waning. It is almost time. It would be prudent of you to come to an understanding with this place, but please do so at your leisure. We will meet again, eventually."

Igor then snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden, a siren sounded. A prison siren, the one you hear in the movies when there's a full-scale prison riot.

"Time's up! Now hurry up and go back to sleep!" Caroline commanded, facing toward me again.

As soon as she said that, I felt myself suddenly lose consciousness and I collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

"Guh-!"

I woke up cold sweat, yet again. This time I was back at Leblanc, and it was still dark outside. I reached for my phone, and after turning it on, looked at the time. It was only one in the morning? I shook my head. It's gonna be a long night because I don't know if I can go back to sleep after that. Rehabilitation? The end of the world? What does all that mean? And why was I chosen to stop it? I shook my head. God, why all of this now and on my first night, no less? This is just too bizarre, there's no way that all actually happened, that was all just a figment of my overactive imagination...

I sighed as I turned off my phone, laid my head back on the pillow and praying that I would fall asleep eventually. My first school day in the big city, wonder what that's gonna be like? Hopefully, I can put that 'incident' behind me, no more of that hero crap and just live out a normal year here, free of abnormalities. That's not too much to ask for, right?


End file.
